EU as a Counterweight to America

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Description:

The last rival superpower to the US, the Soviet Union, collapsed at the end of the Cold War, and quite apart from its military strength, was in any case never powerful enough in other ways to counterbalance US influence. Japan had in the late 1980s seemed capable of challenging America’s industrial leadership, but by the 1990s it had lost its competitive edge. China might wish to be a major force in a multipolar world, but has been plagued by its lack of overall strength. Given these realities, the expanding EU has ambitions to be counter to United States’ unchecked power and it is hoping to do this through its economic and political clout.

Enablers:

  • The EU of 27 member states today generates the same amount of wealth as the United States.
  • It has more people (454.7 million) than the United States and therefore a a larger consumer market
  • A common European culture is emerging among the generation ranging from ages 15 to 40
  • Increasing power of the Euro
  • EU has more troops (collectively, almost two million armed forces personnel) than the US
  • Political Muscle which comes with having more votes on the United Nations Security Council and every other international body

Inhibitors:

  • The EU lacks a joint military arsenal, and more significantly European security and defence policy is still characterised by divergent national policies.
  • With 25 democratic nations each having a say in EU affairs, the government is too large and unwieldy to govern efficiently and effectively.
  • To become a federal superstate with supranational governance, capable of executing decisions with speed and precision, Europe must have a strong leader guiding the way.

Paradigms:

The rise of EU as a counterweight to the US does not mean that it will lead to armed conflict between the United States and Europe. But it could result in a dramatically different — and much less benign — world than the one we live in today.

America and Europe are already spending much more time worrying about the rise of Asia than about each other. However, for now it is Europe that is America’s only major competitor in terms of political and economic clout.

Experts:

  • Politicians
  • Economists
  • Dingli Shen

Timing:

1957: Signing of the Treaties of Rome and creation of the European Economic Community (EEC).<br\> 1993: The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force.<br\> 2002: Euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states.<br\> 2004: The EU saw its biggest enlargement to date when Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary joined the Union.<br\> 2007: Lisbon Treaty signed.<br\>

Web Resources:

http://www.realtruth.org/articles/413-tec.html <BR\> http://www.cas.fudan.edu.cn/picture/1397.pdf

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